


Can't Catch Me

by Peach_and_bugs



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Badass Lin Beifong, Canon LGBTQ Character, Canon Lesbian Character, F/F, Kya is a little shit making Lin's job harder, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, Light Angst, Lin is tired of Kya's shit, Police Chase, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, mist stepping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28688316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peach_and_bugs/pseuds/Peach_and_bugs
Summary: Kya has a run-in with Republic City's esteemed police. It's actually more like a runaway than a run-in...
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 2
Kudos: 49





	Can't Catch Me

It was late, much later than Kya had intended to stay out for. Streetlights had flickered on around her as invisible stars sparkled in the sky above. The summer air had grown cold, causing goosebumps to form on her arms. She felt the pavement underfoot, pounding and sending vibrations through her entire body as she made her getaway. Ducking down an alleyway, she slipped behind a wall to catch her breath. 

She still wasn’t exactly sure how she had ended up in this current situation, but there was no going back now. What she could recall was something involving lillyweed, (her late-night pursuits generally involved lillyweed) maybe a little public indecency, as well as being out past curfew, and a few friends that her mother would have called “troublesome”. Good thing her mother did not know her current whereabouts or company then. 

She could hear the sirens in the distance now. She would only have a few minutes before she was found if she stayed where she was. She knew Nonoh and Raccom had been caught and were in custody. She’d seen that happen before fleeing the scene with cops hot on her trail. But she had no idea where Romiri and Zodek might have gone. She cursed herself under her breath. 

“I swore I wouldn’t do shit like this again. Not after last time,” she grumbled, well aware that she was the only one around the listen. She could hear the sirens clearly now and knew she needed to move. She poked her nose out from behind the wall and decided that leaving from where she came was too risky. After looking around for a moment, she found a ladder. 

“Nowhere to go but up I guess,” she said with a chuckle and grin to herself as she gripped the cold metal bars, moving upward. The building she was on wasn’t tall by her standards. There were much bigger buildings in the city, so she wasn’t in any immediate danger being on the roof. With some squinting, she could make out the bay and Airtemple Island there wouldn’t be any ferry at this time of night, she’d need to bend her way back. 

She put her hands on her hips, weighing her options. On one hand, if she moved quickly and quietly towards the bay, she could probably slip through the shadows and make it home without a scratch. The problem with that was she’d have to move slowly and it would take forever, possibly till morning and she needed to sleep the lillyweed off.

Her other option was faster but risked getting her caught. If she bent the but of water still had in her pouch, she could move from roof to roof with mist-stepping and make it to the bay in no time. It was risky but might work. She hadn’t practiced mist-stepping in longer than she would like to admit, but if she focused she might be able to-

“Hands up and turn around! Republic City Police!” a voice barked, causing the Waterbender to jump and nearly fall from her perch on the roof’s edge. Slowly, she put her hands up like she had been told, but refrained from turning. She surveyed her surroundings quickly and made a jump for it off the roof, forming a frosty platform under her foot that she could push off of and land on the horizontal rooftop. 

She landed in a crouched position on the end of the roof and caught her breath only for a moment, shocked that her last-second plan had worked. She scrambled to her feet when she heard the familiar scratching of metal and ran across the rooftop. The next roof was higher this time but she jumped, formed her platforms, and swiftly climbed to the solid ground once more. 

Kya continued this chase for a few more roofs, trying to dip and dodge any metal wires that whizzed past her as her pursuer continued after her. Whoever it was seemed to know where she would go and the game was growing frustrating now. She landed on a low enough roof and instead of continuing forward, she dropped into another alleyway behind the building. She saw her pursuer continue forward and with a grin, she ran through the ally. 

She could hear a frustrating yell and the scraping of more metal wires behind her as she dipped and dodged through the backstreets of the city, she spotted another ladder, this time to a building she knew looked over the bay. She got a devilish idea and knocked over a garbage can behind her with a loud clang. She scaled the ladder, stumbling slightly when she reached the top. She could heather pursuer hot on her trail and dashed across the rooftop. 

She looked over the edge, a body of water just below her. She hesitated momentarily and it was just enough time for a wire to wrap around her wrist, stopping her from moving forward and off the roof. 

“I thought I told you to stop,” when she wasn’t planing her escape, Kya recognized her pursuer. She grinned and now willingly, put her hands above her head and turned around. The Lin she was met with wasn’t much different from who she had seen last time she had been home. Her scared cheek was healing nicely, Kya noted, and she must have cut her hair because it was noticeably shorter and framed her face with nice layers. 

“Lin, dear. How long has it been? How’s my baby brother?” Kya asked nonchalantly like she hadn’t been running from the cop’s moments before. Lin gave her no reaction other than a signature scowl. With a flick of the Metalbender’s wrist, the wire was released from around Kya’s arm. The Waterbender slowly lowered her arms and rubbed her wrist. 

“What the hell are you doing here, Kya? Last I heard you were in the Omashu,” there was a familiar bite in Lin’s voice, but Kya couldn’t pinpoint if it was just regular Lin or annoyed Lin. When the Earthbender exhaled a breath and her nostrils flared, Kya decided it was the latter. She shrugged casually and smiled. 

“They got rid of me right quick. Apparently, saying you’re related to Bumi won’t get you out of a sticky situation.”

“But you’re not related to King Bumi,” Lin arched an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

“I said I was related to Bumi. No one asked if I meant King Bumi specifically, so I technically didn’t lie about anything,” Kya grinned. She could feel Lin’s eye roll from across the rooftop.

“You know I have to take you in, right?” 

“On what charges,” Kya challenged, despite knowing exactly what she had done.

“Lillyweed consumption and possession, out past public curfew, public indecency-” 

“Hey, I was fully clothed.” 

“Knowing you that likely wasn’t going to last long,” Lin’s eyes widened at her own comment and she slapped a hand over her mouth. Kya stayed frozen for a moment but snorted with laughter when the comment registered.

“Lin, you think so little of me! Good joke though,” she managed once she had finished her laughing fit. “I’ll have you know that I take great pride in my sexual endeavors and if I was going to have relations with another woman in public, she would need to be very special. Now, Romiri’s sweet and all but-” Lin’s disgusting look cut her off. The Earthbender held a hand out to shut her up and she shook her head. 

“I didn’t need to know any of that. Now can we please go so that I can get this all filed and get on with my evening?” Lin insisted. There was an unmistakable pinkness that filled her cheeks that Kya could just make out with the help of a streetlight. She arched an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips, glancing down her at the bay behind her. 

“Who said I’m going anywhere with you?” Kya tested. She shifted her right foot backward, her heel hanging over the edge of the roof. She saw the way Lin’s solid green gaze darted downward when she moved. The Earthbender was well aware of how close she was to the edge. ‘Damn seismic sense,’ she thought to herself. 

__“Don’t try anything stupid, Kya,” Lin growled through her teeth. Kya’s eyes widened for a moment and she felt her heartbeat speed up. She chalked it up to adrenaline. Yep, definitely just adrenaline._ _

__“Didn’t you used to say ‘stupid’ was my middle name?” Kya retorted. She could tell Lin was practically boiling with frustration now. _‘Good. If she annoyed, she won’t be able to focus on what I’m doing,’ _she said in her head with a visible grin.___ _

____“Not the time Kya,” Lin huffed._ _ _ _

____“You never told me how Tenny was when I asked,” Kya deflected, opting to go the annoying track a little more before making her great escape._ _ _ _

____“This isn’t a game,” Lin gritted her teeth now, her hand moving toward where she kept her wires._ _ _ _

____“I never said it was. I thought about dropping by, but I won’t be in town long enough for that, I’m afraid,” she said with an exaggerated sigh. Her smile faltered for a moment when she saw a sudden feeling flash in Lin’s gaze. It seemed almost like hesitation, or maybe hurt? Or it could have been shock._ _ _ _

____It was a fleeting flash that almost let Kya in on what Lin was really thinking. She could see the gears turning in Lin’s head as she tried to figure out what to do. Kya could easily slip away now. She was distracted. Something kept her in place though. Could have been the anticipation of seeing where this would go._ _ _ _

____“Why did you have to go?” Lin finally asked. Her voice was solid, but not cold. She didn’t look Kya in the eye when she said it, but she still watched the Waterbender. Her hand was still held out. One flick of the wrist and she could send the wires flying at Kya once more._ _ _ _

____“This city is too stuffy and constricting. I couldn’t truly breathe here.”_ _ _ _

____“Yet you still come back,” Kya stayed put, eventually shrugging._ _ _ _

____“My families here. My friends are here,” she said simply “I can visit, but I can’t really live. Not here anyway” she explained. Lin stayed still, eventually nodding. Her hand lowered slightly and she straightened her posture, letting her guard down for a fleeting moment. Kya shifter her left foot, both heels hovering in the air on the ledge._ _ _ _

____Lin was focused on something else. She didn’t notice her shifting. Kya thought it cruel, but she wouldn’t get another opening like this if she tried stalling for more time. With that, she smiled, straightened her posture, and before Lin could register what she was about to do, she brought a hand to her forehead in a solute._ _ _ _

____“Nice seeing you around, chief,” she said in a voice softer than she had intended. She brought her right foot back and felt the air catch around her. Lin jumped into action, but it was too late for that. Kya fell backward, as she had intended, a metal wire skimming forward and past her arm as she dropped toward the water below._ _ _ _

____Right before hitting the water, she saw Lin stumble and reach the ledge, watching as she dropped into the cold, murky, blue of the bay. Kya was chilled to the bone instantly, so much that she didn’t feel a thing. She opened her eyes and could still see Lin’s silhouette looking over her. With a single stroke, she resurfaced with a wide grin. She could see Lin call something down to her, but the words were lost in the frozen air._ _ _ _

____Kya waved at the officer above her and watched as Lin turned away with a shake of her head and disappear into the dark, with the sound of metal behind her, just as Kya would have expected of dear Lin._ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> I finished this at 2:40 am after listening to "Bamboleo" by Gipsy Kings on a loop, so I apologize for any glaring mistakes. I really need sleep, lol. I love the TikTok trend going around with this song, and I definitely think a dramatic fall backward in something Kya would have done when running from the police, namely Lin in this situation.
> 
> (This is a one-shot that isn't related to/in the same universe as either of my previous works)


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